Tankship Man Overboard Search in GofM

Coast Guard crews and the tankship Elia are searching for one of the vessel's crew members off Port Aransas, Texas.

The USCG informs that missing is the chief engineer, a 47-year-old Russian man.

After searching throughout the ship, the crew of the 800-foot Liberian flagged tanker called the Coast Guard for help on Sunday. They reported that the chief engineer had been seen around 10:10 a.m., but did not show up after being requested at 10:30 a.m. They were about 20 miles offshore, en route to the Port Aransas anchorage.

Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston watchstanders responded to the call and Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders began facilitating the search with crews from a Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a Coast Guard Station Port Aransas based 45-foot response boat. A Corpus Christi based HU-25 Falcon airplane crew also joined the search.

If crews were unable to locate him before nightfall, the Coast Guard Cutter Amberjack, an 87-foot patrol boat, is expected to join in the search.